Shreekrishna Kirtana

Shreekrishna Kirtana Kabya was composed by Boru Chandidas. When Charyapada shows us the most ancient example of Bengali language, Shreekrishna Kirtana depicts a new kind of speech style very clearly. According to Suniti Kumar Chatterjee, “The Grammer of the speech of the Shreekrishna Kirtana gives a clue to many of the forms of New Bengali”

Discovery of the manuscript

In 1916, Sri Basanta Ranjan Roy Bidvatballava discovered the Punthi or the hand written manuscript of the Sreekrishna Kirtana from Kankila Village of Bankura district. He edited that book and published it from Bangiya Sahitya Parishad on the same year. Some pages of the Punthi, consisting first, middle and last phrase was not found. So the name of the original text and the description of the poet have remained unknown. The discoverer called the Punthi Shreekrishna Kirtana, as the subject matter concerns the life of Krishna in Vrindavan.

Story

Shrikrsnakirtan is a lyrical composition, embodying the love affair between Radha and Krishna. The storyline is derived from Srimad Bhagwat, the original book in Bhakti based Vaishnavism. However, Baru Chandidas managed to add substantial originality, making it a masterpiece of meieval Bangla literature. He gives the yearning of Radha a distinctly Bengali rendition, and in the process capturing much of the social conditions of the day.

Reference

• Srikrishnakirtan, Banglapedia, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.